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 Welcome to the September edition of my e-newsletter.
As B.C.’s Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, I’m pleased to celebrate National Forest Week, in this International Year of Forests.
This year’s theme for both National Forest Week and International Year of Forests is Forests for People. This provides a great opportunity to reflect on the benefits our forests provide.
B.C.’s forest sector continues to provide great economic benefits – accounting for over 55,000 direct jobs supporting families all around the province, and contributing $7.3 billion to the province’s GDP.
With a number of mills reopening around the province, including mills in Kitwanga, Midway, Savona and Vavenby, hundreds of workers are back on the job and communities are seeing the benefits of the forest sector as it continues to recover.
With lumber exports still on the rise and exponentially increasing demand from China, British Columbians will continue to benefit from increased demand for our wood products.
We are also diversifying the forest economy – now over 50 communities are enjoying the benefits of forestry by managing local community forests for local values. As well, 144 First Nations are enjoying the benefits of forestry through revenue-sharing agreements and direct access to timber.
But forests aren’t only about jobs. We manage our forests for a multitude of values including fish and wildlife habitat, water quality, cultural heritage and recreation, to name just a few.
During National Forest Week, get out into the woods and take time to enjoy one of the 1,200 recreation sites or 800 trails around the province.
Minister Thomson's National Forest Week video message.
Ministry's National Forest Week website.
Steve Thomson
Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
Minister’s biography
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FORESTRY
DRAFT OLD GROWTH AREA AMENDMENT INCLUDES AVATAR GROVE - The public is invited to comment on proposed changes to old growth management areas on Vancouver Island that would protect the Avatar Grove site. Comments on the proposed amendments will be accepted until Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011.
WOODLOT AWARD RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED - The recipients for the Minister's Award of Excellence for Woodlot Management have now been announced: Grant Hayden for the Coast, George Delisle for the Southern Interior and Earl Ingram and Alastair Schroff for the Northern Interior. Earl and Alastair were also selected as the provincial winner. Congratulations!
ASHNOLA FOREST SERVICE ROAD TEMPORARILY CLOSED - Travellers are advised that the Ashnola Forest Service Road in the Keremeos area will be closed at 18.7 kilometres and 32.9 kilometres due to the installation of two stream crossings from Sept. 7 to Oct. 14, 2011.
INPUT INVITED ON SUNSHINE COAST TIMBER SUPPLY REVIEW - Comments are being accepted until Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011 on a discussion paper released as part of a comprehensive review of the Sunshine Coast timber supply area.
INPUT INVITED ON OKANAGAN TIMBER SUPPLY REVIEW - Comments are being accepted until Friday, Oct. 21, 2011 on a discussion paper released as part of a comprehensive review of the Okanagan timber supply area.
PREMIER CELEBRATES KITWANGA SAWMILL REOPENING - Premier Christy Clark celebrated the grand reopening of the Kitwanga mill and 90 new jobs in Northwestern British Columbia. Video
MINISTER SPEAKS AT COMMUNITY FOREST AGM - In June, Minister Steve Thomson and Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett attended the BC Community Forests Association AGM in 100 Mile House. The Minister spoke to about 100 Association executive, members, and local government officials on his vision for community forests.
COMMUNITIES BECOME PART OF B.C.'S COMMUNITY FOREST PROGRAM - Throughout June, a number of communities across the province were given the opportunity to enter the Community Forest Program. The communities are: Cortes Island, Clinton, Williams Lake, North Vancouver Island communities and Midway and Greenwood.
MINISTER TOURS CANFOR LOGGING SITE - While on a regional tour, Minister Steve Thomson stopped to visit a Canfor's logging site near Vanderhoof.
SAVONA PLYWOOD PLANT CELEBRATES REOPENING - More than 80 plywood production workers are back on the job in the Thompson Region with the reopening of Savona Specialty Plywood.
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WILDFIRES
OPEN FIRE PROHIBITIONS EXTENDED IN KAMLOOPS FIRE CENTRE - Effective at 12 noon on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011, the prohibitions currently in place within the Kamloops Fire Centre’s jurisdiction will be extended and expanded to other areas to help prevent human-caused wildfires. The new prohibitions will be in effect until Oct. 15, 2011 or until the order is lifted.
MOU SUPPORTS WILDFIRE KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE WITH AUSTRALIA - B.C. and Australian wildland firefighters will get a chance to learn from each other under a mutual-aid agreement signed by British Columbia and the State of Victoria.The new memorandum of understanding includes a learning and exchange program to promote the sharing of wildfire fighting techniques and technologies. It also renews a 2007 MOU for personnel and resource-sharing during times of emergency. Video
B.C. FIREFIGHTING PERSONNEL ASSIST ONTARIO AND UNITED STATES - Throughout the 2011 wildfire season the Province has deployed more than 850 firefighting personnel and equipment to Ontario, 23 personnel to Idaho and Montana, along with two airtankers and one birddog, and 41 personnel to Washington, to assist with high fire activity.
CONAIR INTRODUCES NEW TECHNOLOGY - On July 26, Conair Group Inc. hosted a spectacular airtanker drop demonstration on the tarmac of Abbotsford Airport to highlight the new technology for their Lockheed Electra that allows for better control of dropping retardant on wildfires.
LOGAN LAKE RECEIVES INTERFACE WILDFIRE PREVENTION AWARD - Minister Steve Thomson recognized the District of Logan Lake for fully implementing its community wildfire protection plan during a special awards ceremony at the Merritt Fire Zone base. Logan Lake was among the first local governments in B.C. to complete a plan.
NEW WILDFIRE BASE IN ARROW FIRE ZONE OPEN AND READY - Construction of the new $2-million Arrow Fire Zone Primary Attack Base is now complete, bringing wildfire staff and equipment into one location. The two-storey, 540-square-metre (5,800-square-foot) building replaces the offices that burnt down in 2005. Video
FUNDING TO HELP KEEP COMMUNITIES SAFE FROM WILDFIRES - The Province is committing $25 million over two years to further protect B.C. families and communities from the threat of wildfires. The new funding supports the Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initiative, used by local governments and First Nations to reduce the risk of wildfires where forests and grasslands meet cities and towns.
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FIRST NATIONS
JOBS AND LAND PROTECTION BALANCED IN NEW AGREEMENT - Minister Steve Thomson was on-hand to watch Premier Christy Clark and Taku River Tlingit First Nation spokesperson John Ward sign an agreement that creates 13 new protected areas and provides resource development opportunities and investment certainty in more than three million hectares (approximately 11,500 square miles) in the Atlin Taku region of northwestern B.C. Video
AGREEMENT ENRICHES FORESTRY PROSPECTS FOR BABINE LAKE - A community forest agreement partnership between the Village of Granisle and the Lake Babine Nation will diversify the local economy and create more business for the Babine Lake area.
NEW WOODLAND LICENCE HELPS FIRST NATIONS IN FOREST INDUSTRY - As part of National Aboriginal Day, the Province announced a new First Nations’ woodland licence to support increased First Nations participation in the forest sector. The new licence is a long-term area-based tenure and includes exclusive rights to harvest timber on Crown land, the right to harvest, manage and charge fees for botanical forest products and the ability to practice Aboriginal stewardship.
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RECREATION SITES
AND TRAILS
B.C.'S BACKCOUNTRY PLAYGROUND - Recreation Sites and Trails BC manages approximately 1,200 recreation sites and 800 trails around the province. To find a recreation site or trail near you visit www.sitesandtrailsbc.ca
RIDING INTO THE FUTURE: TABOR MOUNTAIN TRAILS - Tabor Mountain, with its
250 km of multi-use trails, is now a formally established recreation trail system, Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Pat Bell announced on behalf of Minister Steve Thomson at the ATV-BC Jamboree on Tabor Mountain.
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FISH AND WILDLIFE
FISHING VESSELS INVESTIGATE SHRIMP FISHERY IN OKANAGAN LAKE - Southern Okanagan Lake residents may see commercial-sized fishery vessels and processing barges moving from their usual moorage outside Vernon to Squally Point area near Peachland. The vessels are part of a provincial study of the experimental freshwater shrimp fishery established in the northern part of Okanagan Lake.
KOKANEE TRIAL FISHERY OPEN IN OKANAGAN - With Okanagan Lake Kokanee spawner numbers on the rise in recent years, another limited Kokanee trial fishery will be held this summer from June 1, 2011 to Oct. 31, 2011. The daily quota will be five Kokanee per licensed angler.
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ENVIRONMENT
BROWNFIELD FUNDING HELPS REVITALIZE COMMUNITIES - Since March 2011, the Province has provided approximately $1.8 million to 30 projects in 23 communities through the Brownfield Renewal Funding Program to revitalize brownfield sites throughout the province. Website
WHAT A LOAD OF GARBAGE! - Staff from Compliance and Enforcement and the Wildfire Management Branch put on their gloves and removed approximately 1,432 kilograms (3,157 lbs) of garbage and 454 kg (1,000 lbs) of metal that had been illegally-dumped onto the forest floor, thereby restoring it to its natural and pristine condition.
PROVINCIAL FUNDING HELPS ERADICATE INVASIVE PLANTS – The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is providing $3 million in funding to the Invasive Plant Council of BC to create a new employment program that will train and hire up to 150 people to help prevent and reduce the spread of invasive plants around B.C. In addition, the Province is providing over $705,000 to Invasive Plant Committees and Regional Districts to assist in controlling high priority invasive plant species, such as giant hogweed, hoary alyssum and field scabious.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
CANFOR RESUMES OPERATIONS AT VAVENBY SAWMILL - On Sept. 6, Canfor announced the successful restart of its Vavenby sawmill following a $24 million capital investment which included a new canter line, a new grade optimizer in the planer and an upgraded planer feed system. At full production, Vavenby will add 240 million board feet of SPF to company capacity on an annual basis.
LADYSMITH SAWMILL OPENS SECOND LINE - Due to increased demand from China, Western Forest Product's Ladysmith sawmill has reopened its second line allowing another eight employees to return to work.
PORT ALICE MILL RECEIVES $6.46M - Port Alice's Nuecel Specialty Cellulose mill has received $6.46 million in funding from the Federal Government's Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program to increase energy efficiency and improve the mill's environmental footprint.
CELGAR PULP MILL CELEBRATES 50 YEARS - In July, Castlegar's Zellstoff Celgar pulp mill celebrated its 50th anniversary. The mill has been a cornerstone of the local economy since its construction a half-centry ago, surviving tough economic times in B.C.'s forest industry.
HARROP MILL OPENING CELEBRATED - In June, Harrop-Procter Forest Products celebrated its grand opening. All the equipment is up and running and the company now has the ability to take logs from its community forest to finished products without transferring them to another location.
CONIFEX INVESTS IN BIOENERGY IN MACKENZIE - Conifex Timber is investing approximately $50 million in a bioenergy facility at its operation in Mackenzie. This investment is being made after a pair of agreements Conifex signed with BC Hydro to provide energy to the provincial grid.
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